CUEmu - Thread Posts

Kwee

Wed Jun 02, 2004 4:22 pm

Our next question is due next week though expect some delay on the answer due to FanFest

Fire away

Kwee Glitterwing of Starsider
Ex Image Designer Correspondent ~ Elder Tailor
& Kwee-kwee ~ Master Image Designer
Gamer Girl Columnist ~ swg.warcry.com
Ivory & Topaz of TC ~ Elder Dancers, IDs, Musicians

Just_Bri

Wed Jun 02, 2004 4:56 pm

#2

As I posted in the other thread:

The Image Designers of the Galaxies are concerned with the level of silence and diplomatic non-answers that they have been recieving in response to their greatest concerns. This in combination with the seeming game of "Pin the Tail on the Solution" that has been going on behind the scenes has lad many Image Designers to go into hiding and/or give up the profession. What plans do the developers have to restore an atmosphere of a "Pleasant and enjoyable gaming experience" to the profession ofImage Design?

____________________________________________________________

"V E E L A" S A I D - Retired Master Smuggler, cancelled 7/27/2005. SOE, think about every non-Jedi "cancelled" signature you've seen, and remember that there will be more as you forget the communities that makes this game's heart and soul. Entertainers, Crafters, Hybrids, Non-Jedi Combats, and Smugglers. When you are closing shop on SWG, remember that you ignored the REAL community to cater to an alpha class that assured this game would never be "balanced."

*Veela encourages you to adopt this sig

Syzygy-Gorath

Wed Jun 02, 2004 5:44 pm

#3

What she said ________/|\

œ Slone Varnillian œ Eicia Obai œ Panda-Sy œMost of the universe's problems can be solved by the application of a brick to the side of the right head.The problem is if you don't have a big enough brick or can't find the right head. The devil is in the details.œ Galena Varnillian œ Ammon œ Gwrtheyrn œ

ToppDog

Wed Jun 02, 2004 6:04 pm

#4

Kwee wrote:

Our next question is due next week though expect some delay on the answer due to FanFest Fire away

If we can only ask one question can we have it be a multi-part question? If so mine would be:

We are appreciative that our profession is getting some much needed attention, but we are also concerned that there is a lack of communication or consideration for the players of this profession in making changes to it. Many of the changes in this recent mini-publish have been for the better, but some of the changes have resulted in new problems or in one case it even removed a very useful feature that was added in a previous ID publish.

In an effort to see some of these issues be resolved, & to prevent the valuable time of the dev team being wasted in the future, we ask the following:

1. Can we get the numbers attached back to the sliders as they were before. This was a very useful feature added in a previous publish that was not included in the new UI. This may have simply been overlooked, but it is an extremely useful tool that we would love to have put back in.

2. If any variation of the ID tent concept is to be expanded outside the NPC cities to include player cities etc. the overwhelming majority of the ID's would prefer to have a seperate terminal be placeable in either a merchant tent& other player owned structures such as a house, guildhall, cantina, theater, or hospital. This will solve the issue of role-playing the profession as well as saving the devs a lot of unnecessary work. If we are allowed to set up & decorate our salons as we wish, then the devs will not have to try to come up with a design that pleases everyone.

3. Although the addition of Stat Changes to our arsenal is good in theory, it has caused much grief & resulted in new problems. Ideally we would have liked this new feature to have been an added bonus to the existing system, instead of replacing it entirely. But if this cannot be the case, then the timer issue must be further addressed. As it stands now ID's can really do nothing at all during this ten minute time period...no reading emails, or responding to tells, or communication of any sort because the UI takes up the whole screen, & if you try to toggle it off you lose all the work you just did & have to start all over again. Also, by being forced to be inactive for ten minutes many ID's or their customers are going LD before the ten minutes is up & they have to start all over again.

Just_Bri

Wed Jun 02, 2004 6:08 pm

#5

ToppDog wrote:

Kwee wrote:

Our next question is due next week though expect some delay on the answer due to FanFest Fire away

If we can only ask one question can we have it be a multi-part question? If so mine would be:

We are appreciative that our profession is getting some much needed attention, but we are also concerned that there is a lack of communication or consideration for the players of this profession in making changes to it. Many of the changes in this recent mini-publish have been for the better, but some of the changes have resulted in new problems or in one case it even removed a very useful feature that was added in a previous ID publish.

In an effort to see some of these issues be resolved, & to prevent the valuable time of the dev team being wasted in the future, we ask the following:

1. Can we get the numbers attached back to the sliders as they were before. This was a very useful feature added in a previous publish that was not included in the new UI. This may have simply been overlooked, but it is an extremely useful tool that we would love to have put back in.

2. If any variation of the ID tent concept is to be expanded outside the NPC cities to include player cities etc. the overwhelming majority of the ID's would prefer to have a seperate terminal be placeable in either a merchant tent& other player owned structures such as a house, guildhall, cantina, theater, or hospital. This will solve the issue of role-playing the profession as well as saving the devs a lot of unnecessary work. If we are allowed to set up & decorate our salons as we wish, then the devs will not have to try to come up with a design that pleases everyone.

3. Although the addition of Stat Changes to our arsenal is good in theory, it has caused much grief & resulted in new problems. Ideally we would have liked this new feature to have been an added bonus to the existing system, instead of replacing it entirely. But if this cannot be the case, then the timer issue must be further addressed. As it stands now ID's can really do nothing at all during this ten minute time period...no reading emails, or responding to tells, or communication of any sort because the UI takes up the whole screen, & if you try to toggle it off you lose all the work you just did & have to start all over again. Also, by being forced to be inactive for ten minutes many ID's or their customers are going LD before the ten minutes is up & they have to start all over again.

I am concerned that with this they will be able to dodge ( again ) and give yet another diplomatic non-answer. Or simply tell us "Sorry, not untill after JTL."

I want a real answer.

____________________________________________________________

"V E E L A" S A I D - Retired Master Smuggler, cancelled 7/27/2005. SOE, think about every non-Jedi "cancelled" signature you've seen, and remember that there will be more as you forget the communities that makes this game's heart and soul. Entertainers, Crafters, Hybrids, Non-Jedi Combats, and Smugglers. When you are closing shop on SWG, remember that you ignored the REAL community to cater to an alpha class that assured this game would never be "balanced."

*Veela encourages you to adopt this sig

Kwee

Wed Jun 02, 2004 6:19 pm

#6

We've actually gotten pretty pleasing answers imo to our previous questions. I will occasionally present two or three for TH to pick from so we can up our chances of getting info (not all things are known when we ask them). There can only be one question

Kwee Glitterwing of Starsider
Ex Image Designer Correspondent ~ Elder Tailor
& Kwee-kwee ~ Master Image Designer
Gamer Girl Columnist ~ swg.warcry.com
Ivory & Topaz of TC ~ Elder Dancers, IDs, Musicians

Just_Bri

Wed Jun 02, 2004 8:17 pm

#7

Honestly, I don't feel like being nice. I haven't done a single Image Design since stat migration number sixty five, and I don't see myself doing any more untill we get a few actual fixes. However, if I was required to take the "bite" out of my question you could just use the last line.

"What plans do the developers have to restore an atmosphere of a "Pleasant and enjoyable gaming experience" to the profession ofImage Design?"

I am not going to grind this or any other profession one second more than I have to. However, I expect the game to play better than this. There is nothing wrong with the programming, or the UI. The problem is in the design itself. The Devs honestly cannot tell me that they have started a novice entertainer, gotten anywhere significant in the Image Design profession, and had fun doing it. I will flat out call them a liar.

Look past the exp per minute. Look past the pretty UI and the sweet new colors. Look past all of that and tell me that the way that the timer was impliemented ( not the timer itself, but the method it was put into practice ) is a good thing. Count the number of customers that don't respond when you speak to them because they walked away. Count the number of customers that tell you "That's OK, I will find a Master to do it." Count the number of times you have to ID yourself because you can't ID anyone else. Count the amount of time you spend yelling for someone to help you because you can't ID yourself.

Look at all of that and tell me the profession is "functioning as intended."

You can tell me till you are blue in the face that "The Grind will always be with us, it is just the way it is." I will calmly tell you that you are wrong. I don't disagree that the system will require a large number of simaler tasks to gain sufficient exp. I do strongly feel though that every one of those tasks should be signifigant, memorable, and an excersise in fun; not in frustration. When it becomes fun at the individual task level it ceases to be a "grind".

Right now, the only fun that Image Designers have is what we have in our hearts and in our minds. The systems inplace in the game do not assist us in any way towards our individual goals of having fun. We have to create our fun from scratch every time we log in. That however is not the problem. We are quite good at being the life of the party. Where the problem lies is that the systems in place in the game seem specificly designed to sap and pick at that fun. Little by little crumbling it away with tests of patience, resolve, diplomacy and gab.

Every time we have to tell a customer to find someone else to help them. Every time the customer sees that ten minute timer start counting down. Every time a customer simply can't find one of us is a blow to our worth. It serves to undermine the profession, and gives the customer one more reason to pick one look and one set of stats and never visit an Image Designer ever again.

I will close by saying this: We don't want to be needed. We NEED to be WANTED.

____________________________________________________________

"V E E L A" S A I D - Retired Master Smuggler, cancelled 7/27/2005. SOE, think about every non-Jedi "cancelled" signature you've seen, and remember that there will be more as you forget the communities that makes this game's heart and soul. Entertainers, Crafters, Hybrids, Non-Jedi Combats, and Smugglers. When you are closing shop on SWG, remember that you ignored the REAL community to cater to an alpha class that assured this game would never be "balanced."

*Veela encourages you to adopt this sig

KeyTokikoMima

Wed Jun 02, 2004 9:12 pm

#8

^^^ I'd suggest a question, but I really couldn't state our problems better than Just_Bri did right above me. ^^^

This needs to be about the Novice ID's progression, because it's become really derimental to the whole experience of being an Image Designer.

We need feedback about this issue. All we'd really like is for them to say that it's being worked on when it is. I'd like to have some say in what they're doing, but I'm not picky on that point. We just need to know there's something being done.

An ETA would be nice.. if they told me they were fixing it in a month, I would seriously consider shelving any progression at all for until it was fixed. Without an ETA, or some kind of acknowledgement, I'm forced to trudge along,

150 XP every 2 and a half minutes... *click* read a few pages in my book... *click*

Torigan

Wed Jun 02, 2004 10:40 pm

#9

Key I am really begining to like you. You have brought up a very important issue. I am still trudging along with Novice ID and I am at 2 1 2 1. I have looked at the Galaxy listing for Image Designers and I have yet to happen upon any of those people listed there. I am in Theed 90% of the time I am on-line unless someone from Coronet Station sends me a tell and asks me if I wouldn't mind coming over there to help out 4-6 people that arn't going to Naboo anytime soon. Of course I never mind traveling to another city because I know I am providing a service to others. I have never once asked for any money when doing any ( of my limited) Image Design sessions. I work soley off of tips. I have been tipped 0 credits and I have been tipped 200k credits( I almost had a heartattack ). I conversate with my clients quite a bit and they always ask me how Image Design has been after the changes and I always reply, " It is slow but I refuse to give up." The few MIDs I come in contact with will usually hand over any Stat Migration work to me because they know I need the XP badly and I am normally self-designing to get 150 XP every 2.5 minutes. I have been yelled at and I have been thanked profusly ( alot more of the latter ). I love the jobeven though I feel so helpless when I am asked to change a skin color or to make someone taller/shorter.

Novice IDs have a VERY rough time because until we get close to master we can't do alot of the things that we should be able to do. At low levels we are really only good for Stat Migrations and at the current time to XP ratio they are really not worth doing. In my opinion these things should be added soon:

1. Increased XP for Stat Migrations......this is the Novice IDs bread and butter this needs to be added in pronto not 3 weeks from now.

2. Skin Color changes should be available at Bodyforming 1. This is a huge request that I get almost everytime I do anyID sessions.

Thank you for all the hard work that you do for us Kwee I know as a newer ID I can really look forward to being represented by you.

Cesta
~Master Entertainer~
~Master Image Designer~
Kettemoor

Reiella

Wed Jun 02, 2004 10:54 pm

#10

We've seen some experience/time adjustment to Image Designer with Publish 9, can we expect further evaluation and adjustments over the immediate/short-term future?

Master Image Designer
Master Dancer
Teras Kasi Student (Brawler 4400)
Novice Fencer (Fencer 1010)
Third Asteroid on the Right

Atlantiss

Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:15 am

#11

One question eh? Go on then as it keeps cropping up Failing mine i'd vote for Just_Bri's question

Q: When can we expect to have player craftable & placeable ID Terminals and/or "salons", (preferably ID Terminals)?

Thanks!

ATLANTISS
ElderCreatureHandler
PsychopathicCommando

Syzygy-Gorath

Thu Jun 03, 2004 4:08 am

#12

Despite the fact that I'm done with my grind, I wholeheartedly agree that this question needs to be about Novice XP gain. Player placeable tents mean nothing if in 2 months there are no IDs left because all the hopefuls gave up and all the old timers burnt out. We're at a very delicate crossroads, and we need to make sure the dev teams steers us down the right path. As Bri said, we need to be wanted—and right now not even masters are wanted, let alone the poor novices.

Message Edited by Syzygy-Gorath on 06-03-2004 07:09 AM

œ Slone Varnillian œ Eicia Obai œ Panda-Sy œMost of the universe's problems can be solved by the application of a brick to the side of the right head.The problem is if you don't have a big enough brick or can't find the right head. The devil is in the details.œ Galena Varnillian œ Ammon œ Gwrtheyrn œ

TarakAbolai

Thu Jun 03, 2004 5:12 am

#13

I don't post here much...once or twice maybe, but I've been a Master ID for a few months now (thank god it was prepatch, it took me a few weeks even then!) and I have to agree with Syzygy - Player tents can wait. Having to go into a major city to perform a Stat Migration is, while annoying, not breaking our profession. At least people know where to find us...

On the other hand, the complete mess that is the XP gain is killing this profession quickly. Adding more XP for stat migration is all well and good, and will speed it up slightly, but will it ease the pain? No...name a single other profession that requires you to sit doing nothing for 10 minutes over and over while you grind. I have the sneaking suspicion the Devs are forgetting an all important factor right now:
This is a game and it should be fun!
Is that concept so hard to grasp? Fun is not sitting bored for 10 minutes, clicking a few buttons then continuing on. What happened to this game catering for the casual player? That's a ridiculous amount of downtime! Getting 12,000 xp in an hour wouldn't be too bad, I suppose, if it were fun, if it was involving and kept your attention.

Frankly, if I was a Novice ID right now, my mouse wouldn't just be hovering over the "Cancel Subscription" button, it would be hammering the damn thing into the ground because I'd be fed up and out of here.
I have the upmost respect for those of you, such as Bri and Key...you guys are putting up with some serious crap and instead of getting disheartened by it, you're kicking some serious arse for the NoviceID Team! After some of the posts I've seen from all of you guys (especially that one further up the thread from Bri) if the Devs continue to ignore you, then they're missing some very important brain cells in the logic department.

Like Bri said, we need to be wanted - not despised and hated. You know a good way to do that? Give the playerbase back their slow stat migration! That way they come to us if they WANT a faster migration, not because they NEED one. (anyway, that was slightly/very OT).

So yea, as for a question - forget about tents, forget about MID issues, forget about everything else. Focus on our main problem - ID exp...How do the devs plan to rectify the horrific state it's in now, and turn it into something fun and rewarding instead of hours upon hours of effective downtime? You wouldn't make someone wait for a shuttle over and over and over...and over...and over again in quick succession, they'd get bored. What makes ID any different?

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